TEDxPSU- Chris Golecki (junior, Mechanical Engineering)

Penn State recently had the opportunity to host a TED event on campus on 10/10/10. I was lucky enough to be able to attend. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. At a TED seminar, these three sectors come together to share “Ideas Worth Spreading.” During a TED seminar, experts in their respective fields, talk about designs and developments or anything new and interesting in that industry. There are also musicians who perform their new and innovative music.

Sunday October 10, 2010 was nothing less than an epic day for me, as well as many in attendance at the TED talks given in Schwab auditorium. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect from these TED talks. I had watched countless hours of video casts on the TED website but had never been to a live TED talk. The entire day blew my mind. Talks ranging from new innovative designs, to ideas about mortality, to a jazz ensemble, to economic theory gave great scope to the entire day, allowing each member of the audience to personally relate to a topic.

Every one of the TED speakers flooded the stage with passion for their topics and allowed the audience to share in this passion. However, I was really caught off guard by one of the presenters. Chris Calkins was one of the first speakers to say his piece at the event. He began talking about economics and the huge amount of debt facing the citizens of the United States, a topic I didn’t focus on as an engineering student. However, I remained attentive, and he steered his talk into another direction, one that I was not prepared for.

After explaining that he had been a hospital administrator and listing some statistics about mortality and the amount of money spent on hospitalization and treatments, he very frankly asked the audience, “How do you want to die?”

At first, I was stunned at the way he asked this question, and then began to wonder why he asked that question. This was a talk about economics and the great sea of debt, not pain and death. Calkins did not leave the audience hanging on this question, but explained 40% of Medicare spending was spent during the last month of life. So, I asked myself, “How do I want to die?” This is a pretty tough question to answer at 20 years old, but I saw his point. Then I thought about the context of this question and realized that Chris Calkins just linked gross domestic debt to a philosophical argument. Was this true enlightenment or crazy babble? I had a tough time deciphering the quality and urgency of his message, but it made sense. It actually made a lot of sense. But was this the solution to national debt? No one will know really, but that idea turned on the light for me. I then found the true essence of TED.

The True Essence of TED According to Me

TED is not about bankable patents, it’s not about solving problems with traditional knowledge, and it is not about empty commodities. TED is a different way of thinking. TED is about changing age old ways of thinking to new, innovative and abstract ways of thinking, and then using these new methods to solve the age old problems. It was clear, now, that true enlightenment comes from a wealth of experiences, knowledge, and wisdom. All of the speakers were truly enlightened and were clearly speaking from these elements, making their presentation worthwhile.

As a young engineering student, I think that TED is not just beneficial, but essential to the mindset and problem-solving of engineers. In this fast-paced world, there is an ever-expanding sea of new problems. Engineers can most likely solve these problems using old techniques, but there is another way. TED has taught me that there always is another way.

TED’s advice through my eyes: think differently, think abstractly, challenge and enrich your mind.

-Chris Golecki